Review of progress and achievement to date

So far I have formed an idea for a music video, chosen a song, practiced using after effects and made arrangements with actors to make sure they will be available to film in the coming weeks using a whatsapp group chat that I have set up for this production.

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Initial ideas

​My initial ideas for my FMP was to create a music video which uses scripted film elements. I had 3 main ideas, an entirely animated experimental music video about the afterlife, a music video about an angel that falls from heaven and in her exploration of the human world meets a man who is actually the devil who attempts to corrupt her and a psychological horror music video which features a long trip sequence to music and aims to educate the audience on the dangers of taking acid.

I chose the final idea as I wanted to experiment more with using after effects and also felt that it had the most concrete aims due to the message behind it. I was inspired to make a music video on the dangers of psychedelics after reading this recent article about a young man who died after taking LSD, I know a lot of people my age who have used psychedelics recreationally and I think that they are viewed as a 'safe drug' due to the inability to overdose on them however there has been an incline in LSD related suicides since they began integrating into the rave scene in 90s. I want to make a short film/music video that shows these dangers and makes people think twice before taking such a powerful substance especially in a high intensity environment where they aren't familiar with the people or place. I want to also create a visual experience similar to the effects of LSD so the audience can understand the intensity of taking a psychedelic drug. I have chosen the song Yes Sir, I Can Boogie by Baccara as I like the use of upbeat music in horror. I want to show just how difficult it can be to control your actions under the influence of a psychedelic, things that can go wrong and take the audience on an emotional journey to the protagonists inevitable death. I aim to show the audience a new perspective on psychedelics with this film and make them think twice before considering taking them.

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Media type and Media length

I have chosen a film based music video as my media type and I will be aiming for a video approximately 4 minutes long, beginning with a scripted skit and then turning into a music video after the group have taken the tabs of LSD and one of the characters puts on a record so it feels like the music is naturally there. I will have the music quieten when the characters are upstairs to build 2 differing atmospheres. The video will end when the song ends.

 

The project concept and rationale 

As aforementioned, the project concept is a narrative music video about LSD with a skit at the beginning. The music video will follow the story of a young girl who upon meeting her friends other friends is coerced into taking LSD and we watch the torment that she faces which I will show through VFX (i.e overlaying animated patterns) and also potentially SFX (i.e fake blood). The music video will have a message, showing the audience LSD's effects and its dangers. My project aims to show people the intensity of the drug and the risks of taking it and sharing it with others, I aim to teach my audience a lesson as well as creating an engaging video.  

I chose the idea of creating music video with film elements as I felt that it would be able to deliver the strongest message and I also felt that it best highlight my strong points in media as well as pushing my weaker areas (script writing, editing, and time management).

I rated my confidence on the previous products I worked on over the past 2 years: 

Film poster 8/10

Podcast 6/10 

Screenplay 5/10 

Short film/filming 8/10 

Music video 9/10

Animation 6/10 

VFX basics 6/10 

App/ game design (Interactive) 3/10 

This solidified my confidence on my chosen idea as I feel it will allow me to push myself in an area I am already confident in allowing me to learn new skills.

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My work last year 

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Description:

I began filming too early, I started the filming process before I had finished my shot list or storyboard so I only had a script to base my shots on which was not enough of a plan.

Feeling: 

Felt that I had enough ideas in my head but it lead to long shoots as I spent time trying multiple different shots

Instead of having a clear idea of which shots I wanted to shoot 

Evalvation:

It was good as I experimented a lot of different  shots but it was bad because It meant I wasted a lot of time where I could have been editing 

Analysis

The situation lead to me having to rush the editing as I was unsure about what I wanted the full music video to look like for so long 

Conclusion: 

I could have wrote down experimental shots and tested them during the pre production process so I had a more organised plan 

Action plan

For this FMP I plan to finish all my pre production work before I begin the filming process

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Inspiration for this year's FMP​

The film "Climax" by Gaspar Noe was one of my biggest inspirations. The movie is about a group of French dancers who unknowingly take LSD after their Sangria is spiked and the chaos that ensues. Through the protagonist's journey, the film encapsulated the raw experience of being on a high dose of LSD and the dangers of a large group of strangers being under the influence of this drug. The way the film captures the protagonist's introspection and vulnerability through visuals, music and storytelling left a real impression on me and it inspired me to explore the power of music to evoke a sense of distress and fear. Drawing from the experiences of my peers and the film's profound impact, I want to create a music video that authentically captures the emotional depths of psychedelics and spark empathy and understanding within its viewers in the same way I feel that the film did.

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A$AP Rocky's music video for the song "L$D" was a big source of inspiration for me. The captivating visuals and camera movements and transitions in "L$D" creates a visual experience that is almost dream like. For instance there are scenes where he's surrounded by a shifting spectrum of vibrant colors, creating a hallucinogenic effect that aligns with the song's dreamy and psychedelic vibe. Additionally, there are moments where surreal and distorted imagery, such as kaleidoscopic patterns and morphing landscapes, adds to the overall visual complexity. The video's use of lighting techniques, like neon lights and backlighting, enhances the atmospheric and immersive quality, contributing to the video's distinct aesthetic.

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What would you judge as a ‘successful’ final project

I would judge my final project as a successful final project by the audience's reaction to my project. I want my music video to create a calm atmosphere at the beginning of my music video but leave the audience with a sense of horror after watching. In order to see if I was successful I will show my film to friends and family and ask them to fill in a form after watching to assess their reaction to it. 

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Research 

For my research I will be looking at a range of films and music videos and looking at what techniques they use to create an engaging end result so that I can use these in my own music video. I will be analysing films and music videos specifically that had an emotionally impact on me personally because my video aims to emotionally impact the audience so I want to do a lot of in depth research into how to emotionally touch the audience like certain films and music videos have done for me. I will also be looking at realistic depictions of trip sequences in film so I can create a realistic trip sequence. I will also be looking at a wide range of music videos genres and the progression of music videos over time so that I can pay homage to the videos that have come before mine and create a music video that is not stuck in one era, allowing it to be enjoyed by a large range of audiences.

 

Skill plan

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I have chosen this project to play to my strengths but to also explore my weaknesses. I created a skills chart of skills that I particularly want to develop and focus on and other skills that I do not need to put as much effort into because of my familiarity with them already. Some skills that I already feel confident in are my cinematography skills as a whole, with composition, camera angles, colour grading and overall visuals being my strong suit. Although I am already confident in cinematography, I am looking forward to developing my pre-existing skills in this topic, really exploring different lighting techniques and colouring. On top of my skills, I am also exploring a media type that I have not looked at previously, where I am making a music video, whereas previously I have worked more on projects that stem from the film industry such as short films, scripts and film posters. Skills that I am more unsure about/have not explored to my fullest capability definitely falls more into the pre-production side of things, such as storylines and script writing, which when working in groups I often leave to somebody else as my skills do not lie in those areas. However, I am confident in my story idea and I believe that it is interesting enough to create a genuinely good music video that I will be proud of. To develop my script writing skills, I will be focusing on primary research, garnering feedback from my friends who are better at creative writing than I am, and I will also be watching a lot of tutorials and tips to make sure that my script does not fall flat and characters have purpose. I will also be learning the new skill of animation to create an intro and outro to my music video, I don’t have any past experience of animation but I feel confident that I will be able to learn this skill through YouTube tutorials as I learnt all of my current editing skills through that medium. I will also be attempting to learn the new skill of operating a drone to film with as it’s something I’ve had an interest in for a while and I have the money now to buy one so I would really like to learn to use this so I could use some more nuanced shots for the music video.

Problems are what make a project a project, without problems there is no challenge and without challenge there is no development in skills and talent. Although problems are often hard to predict, it is important to be prepared for anything in case a problem occurs while in production. To make sure these problems do not arise I will plan thoroughly through the course of the project and tackle issues as soon as they arrive. An example of me doing this is the fact that I have already contacted actors and began my location recce, which is something that I could have procrastinated to do over previously but for this FMP I have taken into my own hands to make sure that there are no schedule issues, lack of actors and a filming venue before I even make a script. I have great confidence in the actors that I will be working with on this film because I have worked with them previously in my research unit earlier this year and they were all really helpful and considerate and took my instruction well, also as we have already worked together previously they have a rough idea of the expectations and the process in order to create a piece of media so they will not be confused by what I’m talking about when I ask for certain shots. They also all are available in the first few weeks of march which is when I plan to film.

 

Project workflow (time tabled action plan) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Pre-production documents needed

I will need signed permission forms by my actors showing that I have their permission for their image to be used in my production. I will also need signed permission forms from any establishments I film inside e.g. restaurants. I will also need to make a call sheet for each shooting day and complete a risk assessment for the general risks of production. Before shooting I will also need to make a shot list, a storyboard and a script for the dialogue at the beginning. 

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Back up plans for location and actors 

If something happens at my house I have two friends whos houses will also be available for March (when I want to film) alternatively if both of these options also fall through I will look into renting a location in Cambridge but I think this it is highly unlikely that both locations will fall through. If any actors fall through I have some back up actors who say they will be able to be in it if needs be alternatively I will cut down the character list and build a story around a smaller group of friends. 

 

Target Audience

​Primary audience is the decision-making body; they are those people that directly influence the product. The needs, characteristics, consumption habits and preferences should be kept in mind during the production process. My primary target market for my music video will be teenagers and young adults and people who have had experiences with  psychedelics. Secondary audiences on the other hand are groups that may exert an influence on the primary audience, such as children, associates, etc. For my music video the secondary audience will include friends and family of a viewer and people who know people who have used psychedelics particularly people who know people who've had a bad time on psychedelics and want to understand how a 'bad trip' feels.

For my target audience. I will be aiming to target teenagers and young adults as those as they are the main people who would be most likely to take psychedelics, The artist of the song I will be using (Murder On The Dancefloor) has recently become very popular on TikTok amongst teenagers due to it's use in the movie Saltburn so I think this would help being in an audience in the age range of 15-25 which is who I will be targeting. I also want target subsections of society who are prone to isolation such as people struggling with mental health issues as the main character is very isolated through out the music video and having pre existing mental health problems increase the risk of having a bad time on psychedellics.

To ensure that my music video on LSD resonates with my target audience of young people, I will take into account their age, influences, gender, and ethnicity, incorporating visual cues that specifically engage them through the narrative and performance. Understanding that young people are often immersed in digital culture and influenced by social media, I will utilise visual elements that mirror their online experiences, such as incorporating text messages and social media to depict the modern landscape of connection and isolation. Furthermore, I will strive for diversity and inclusivity in the video, representing individuals from various genders and ethnicities to ensure that all viewers can find relatability and representation within the narrative. By featuring characters and situations that mirror their own experiences, such as navigating friendship dynamics or coping with peer pressure, the video will create a deeper sense of connection and empathy. Through the emotionally driven plot I will engage the audience on an emotional level, making the narrative and characters feel authentic and relatable. By considering the specific influences and experiences of young people and employing visual cues that resonate with them, I aim to create a music video that truly connects with and speaks to their unique perspectives and challenges.

 

Group I’m working with and my role 

I'm working with a group of actors who I worked with on a previous project. I chose this group because I know that we work well together because they are comfortable experimenting with ideas and they're schedules fit well with mine for filming time. 

My roles in this group are director, camera operator, storyboard artist, screen writer and editor. I researched these ideas so I could feel more confident about what my role entails. The main responsibility of production lies with the director. A music video director is involved at every stage of the production process, helping and guiding others to do their job. In smaller productions (such as my own) the director also casts the talent for the video and assigns the individual roles. A music video screenwriter is responsible for coming up with a concept that fits the budget of production and when the concept is formed, writing down all that is going to happen in the video into a script. A storyboard artist's role is similar to the screenwriter except that instead of writing the ideas they sketch key moments so that the visual ideas can be shared. The music video's editor is responsible for then assembling the raw footage to assemble it together into one cohesive music video.

 

More on my job role and who inspired me

The main people I took inspiration from were music video directors as they usually make a lot of the decisions for the smaller roles such as camera operators and screen writers and they will work closely with the editor and are given the final cut.

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One of my main inspirations for my job was  film director Ringan Ledwidge who has worked as a director for primarily film and advertising however he has crossed over to the music video world and I think his film work creates a unique style which I want to look at for my own music video. The video I want to look at in particular is "Voodoo In My Blood" by Massive Attack and Young Fathers which features actress Rosamund Pike trapped in a mysterious, shifting environment. The video explores themes of confinement, tension, and psychological struggle which are all things I want to use in my music video.

I aim to take elements of his style and apply them to my music video as I think this use of camera angles and colour grading is able to create an unsettling mood and captivate the audience which is what I aim to do with my video. 

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I also took inspiration from music video director Gaspar Noe as his ability to evoke raw emotions through visuals is something I felt would fit well the themes of loneliness they I want to convey. I felt the use of colour that are recurring throughout his films especially is something I want to emulate in my video to create a similar dark atmosphere. To apply his techniques to my own videos, I will study his use of lighting and colour to create mood and atmosphere so I can use similar techniques to allow me to visually convey the depths of isolation and depression. Furthermore, I will draw inspiration from Noe's ability to create rising tension through his scripting so I aim able to create a sense of rising tension which engages my audience. I also want to create realistic dialogue to make my characters feel real and relatable so my audience will empathise with them and this something I think Noe does very skillfully as I always feel connected to unique characters, especially in this film.

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Shaun Crahun, more commonly known by his stage persona "Clown", is an American musician. He is the co-founder and one of the percussionists of the band Slipknot. He is the longest serving member of Slipknot, performing with the band since its formation in 1995. He also has extensive involvement with Slipknot's media production and music videos. He has worked as a music video director on an array of projects such as America by Motionless In White and We Are by Hollywood Undead. His music videos are unique due to his use of horror and this is something I want to emulate in my own music videos.

 

Mood board

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I looked at some psychedelic effects from films which I would be interested in using for this mood board. My target audience is mostly teens to young adults I also looked at a lot of coming of age horror films for this mood board. I want red to be a dominating colour in my music video as it represents danger and fear so I also looked at films which use this colour i.e. Carrie. I also looked at the use of red lighting in climax specifically, how it used to show allure (top far left), chaos (middle far left) and fear (bottom far left) the slight changes in light between these shots is something I want to look at later in my research. I think an appealing feature to the audience is the relatability element as the protagonist will reflect the modern teen. I think the video is exciting in it's aesthetic features but also in it's authentic representation of bad psychedelic trips which I will work hard to reflect. What makes it different from other music videos is the underlying message in the video, I aim to teach the audience something from watching it. I want to put some statistics and/or advice at the ending of the video.

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​Problems that I may encounter

​Some problems that I may encounter are issues with weather and filming. We are currently entering spring which is known for its unpredictable weather. In order to avoid this affecting my filming I will be filming predominately inside.

Another problem I might encounter is issues with actors not being available to solve this problem. I will need to notify the actors of the time schedule for filming and see what days everyone is available on. I will also need to pick actors that I can rely on to not cancel last minute. To further prevent this issue I will be using the same location for all of my scenes (My house) so I won't need to worry about availability and also so I can do long shoots so I won't need to have too many filming days as that leaves less chance for people to be available 

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Why will people watch my video?

In a study by Ahn et al. (2012) participants watched a sad movie and then answered questions about their mood, how realistic they thought the movie was, how involved they felt in the movie, and how much they enjoyed the movie. Results indicate that people enjoy sad movies through two mediators: realism, and involvement. According to the authors, ‘sadness enhances perceived reality and increases a sense of involvement, leading viewers to enjoy the sad film.' I think this can be also applicable to horror as seeing a character in a scary situation can make you feel sad. I will aim therefore to make the viewer feel seen and heard and empathise with the character in the music video.

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Unique selling point

My music videos unique selling point is the dedication to recreating a realistic trip sequence and also the use of colour to engage the audience and create a highly emotional atmosphere. My music video will also be in the genre of psychedelic horror which I think is an interesting genre that a lot of audience's might not have seen before.

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Rough final plan based on my research so far

My final plan is to make a music video which uses scripted film based sections to tell the story. The music video will begin with a a group of friends meeting at their friend's basement. The protagonist of the story has never taken acid before and is anxious about the effects of the drug but she is peer pressured into taking it anyway.  The current plan I have for the plot for my chosen idea is to have the protagonist meet with a group of her friend's friends who she has never met before in a basement she has never been to before. The group reveal their plan to take LSD and she takes 2 tabs of LSD due to peer pressure despite having very little experience with weed or alcohol let alone psychedelics. As the LSD begins to kick in the character who owns the basement will start playing 'Murder on the dance floor' off a vinyl record player and we will watch as the acid effects each character differently, she begins to feel uneasy and goes upstairs to bathroom and we see intercut shots between her distress and the joy and dancing in the basement. I want to show her death at the end of the video by showing blood coming out from underneath the bathroom door and someone not being able to open it and freaking out because I want to leave a lot to the audience's imagination. The end of the video will have an animation about the dangers of drugs. I want to research how horror films create rising tension to make this video really terrify the audience. With the story mainly focusing on the main character who is overwhelmed by the drug's effects, the audience will see the world through her eyes through the use of after effects editing and animation. I will create mood through the use of lighting and building a set. The music video will be in the genre of psychological horror but also psychedelic horror which is a subgenre of horror which focuses on the enhancement  of horror through the use of psychedelic drugs, using abstract and experimental visuals to terrify the audience. 

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Rough character overview 

To give myself an idea of each character's personality I based each character of the characteristics of birds using the greatcompanions website and assigned them character traits based on the character traits of those birds. I have so far assigned which character is friends with which but I wil go into further detail building the characters out in my research. 

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Budgie (Parakeets or budgies tend to be friendly, playful and social) - lives in his parents basement (the main setting of the music video) 

Cockatoo (Cockatoos love attention and are happiest spending time outside their cage, they are exceptionally loving and devoted.) - One of Budgie's closest friends very relaxed 

Macaw (Macaws are considered to be one of the most intelligent birds. They are social, have a big personality and like to talk. Most macaws do not need constant, physical touch.) - Also one of Budgie's closets friends, convinces the main character to do 2 tabs of LSD

Cockatiel (Cockatiels are usually active and cheerful. Females are more likely to be gentle and not as attention seeking.) - Close with Budgie but more of a duo with senegal parrot 

Senegal parrot (Senegal parrots have a reputation for being one-person birds and tend to develop a significantly stronger bond with their chosen person.) - Not very close with Budgie but very close with cockatiel, a sensitive soul and does not enjoy the LSD but not to the extent of the protagonist 

African grey (African greys have an intelligent personality and a sensitive and quiet nature.) - main protagonist only knows the amazon parrot

Amazon parrot (Amazon parrots are often considered independent birds because of their strong personalities. They are intelligent, outgoing and love attention.)- has brought the main protagonist as a friend but doesn't have much social awareness to keep her safe

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Equipment I will need for filming

I will need a coloured light to create atmospheric lighting 

I will need a shoulder mount to create long following shots 

I will also need a mic for the scenes with speaking 

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Action research/top slice

Black Mirror's trip sequence in Bandersnatch was one of my inspirations when making my mood board so I decided to follow this YouTube tutorial on creating the effects in the trip sequence from Bandersnatch. 

 

I used some stock videos from YouTube and images from google to practice editing and followed the tutorial. 

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The first thing I practiced was the record

scene at the beginning of the sequence 

where the record begins to bend. I used the

liquify effect to create a melting affect, I

used the finger tool for this one and I really 

liked how it turned out

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I then used a photo of a woman looking

at a Vincent van gough painting in a

gallery and practiced liquify tool again

but this time I used the swirling effect.

I used keying to creating the increase of

the effect. 

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I then filmed a green screen video of my hand (I didn’t have a green screen on

hand so I used my sisters green bedroom wall) and added it to a photo of a

painting as the tutorial instructed. I used the keying effect to remove the green

background. And then used the liquify effect to make it seem

like my hand was moving the paint like this.

 

I did like how the result of this technique looked but I wish that 

that the lighting hadn’t left a green tinge on the video

however I think by using a real green screen this wouldn’t happen. 

I found it easier to edit on still images so this made me think about how I need 

to use a tripod for the real production as I just filmed this on my phone. 

I'm not sure if I would use a green screen however in the final music video as I 

really struggled with making this effect due to the tinging on the screen and 

I want to use a lot of coloured lighting in my music video.

 

In conclusion, found this tutorial very helpful as I felt like I was able to accurately create some trip like effects with simple tools on Adobe after effects. I especially liked the use of green screen as it allowed interaction with the environment. I think with more time, practice and using an actual green screen instead of just a green wall these effects could look very realistic. on top of learning to create acid visuals on adobe after effects, I want to improve my video editing abilities on adobe. I want to learn how to use colour grading to create emotions so I will learn how to use the colour tools on premiere pro. I also plan to learn how to make 2D animation to create overlayered patterns as the drugs takes effect, I also want to use animation for the outro of the video so I can add a message.